


Tell Me You'll Stay

by SoberFrost



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fixing Family issues, Fluff, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Jade is a good mom, Jade needs to go home, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Paula is a scary mom, Roy/Will is a good husband, coming home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25515253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoberFrost/pseuds/SoberFrost
Summary: "I need to hear you say it Jade." - Jade finds herself outside of her old house, talking to Will again. Post Season 3.
Relationships: Artemis Crock & Jade Nguyen, Artemis Crock & Paula Crock, Artemis Crock & Roy Harper, Clone Roy Harper | Will Harper/Jade Nguyen, Lian Harper & Clone Roy Harper | Will Harper, Lian Harper & Jade Nguyen, Paula Crock & Jade Nguyen, Roy Harper/Jade Nguyen
Comments: 12
Kudos: 52





	1. Tell Me You'll Stay

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this because YJ Season 3 kind of pissed me off as far the CheshRoy (CheshWill?) relationship. The potential for a giant Cheshire redemption arc is so good, and they just kind of ignored it. Instead we got a false flag Will/Artemis moment.
> 
> Because that's gonna go over reeeaalll well when Wally gets back.

She wasn't quite sure how she had got here, but she was here, standing outside the fairly average looking house in Star City. All she knew is that she was tired.

She was just so tired.

Physically, her muscles ached from the countless nights of fighting, running, and hiding in cramped spaces. The close calls had become closer than ever before. There were more than a few moments were a bullet was dodged almost a nanosecond too late, the blade of a knife swung a few millimeters from her jugular, a kick sent out without enough force.

Mentally, she had always prided herself on being able to compartmentalize. But that had slowly changed after her child was born.

When she left, she thought she'd be able to compartmentalize that too, but to her surprise, and great pain, that grew more and more difficult with each passing day. She missed the warmth of a home that gave her a sense of belonging, no matter how much baggage was present. That nagging reminder of what she had, what she left, made every night a new level of uncomfortable for her. It no longer mattered whether she was in some steely downtrodden Shadows safehouse or holed up undercover in a 5-star resort.

Emotionally….she wasn't used to feeling much emotion. Not in the last decade of her life, which had taken cruel twist after twist.

It was ironic then, that she stood outside the home of the two people that had consistently given her a feeling of warmth in the last few years.

"View is still better from the inside" boasted the deep voice from behind her.

She had missed his voice. And, apparently, the sound of him approaching from behind. Jade turned around, cursing herself for being so sloppy.

He wasn't supposed to her like this. Hell, she hadn't even decided if she wanted him to see her at all.

Will stood there, taking in the sight of his beautiful wife. She looked slightly leaner than the last time she had seen him. Her arm was no longer broken, but he couldn't say the same about her. The confidence that she carried herself with was nowhere to be found, and even though he knew better than to point it out, he could see the faintest traces of tears in her eyes.

"Jade, what are you doing here?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper, as if speaking too loudly would scare her off.

It was a simple question, one he had asked many times before, going back to when their relationship was less a relationship and more a series of one-night stands. She would break into his apartment. He would act surprised. He'd catch her on a rooftop right before she was about to commit a crime. She'd pretend she hadn't spotted him fifteen minutes ago.

But this time, there was no playful edge to his voice. His arms were crossed, and his face stoic. Even though his eyes softened at the sight of his wife, she could see a guarded edge in them that she hadn't seen him look at her with in years. It was the look of a man who had been betrayed and disappointed several times before, and who was expecting it again.

"I…I don't know."

It was the only response she could muster, and her uncertainty shook her. Cheshire was _never_ uncertain, not in anything. Not when she married this man, not when she left him with their unborn child, and not when she had returned with that very same child.

It was a red flag for Will too, but he wasn't sure if it meant good or bad news was following. Either way, they were here, and he wasn't going to just let her run off with some half ass excuse. Not like last time.

Their eyes met, and they both held the gaze. The husband and wife duo had never been great at expression their feelings into words, especially not Jade. As such, they had learned over the years how to communicate without speaking, something that Will grew to dislike. Even Jade had to admit was not the best for their relationship.

But they had never really been together under the "best" conditions, had they? So here they were, in the cool Star City night, conversing without saying a single word.

 _I want to come back_ hers pleaded in a way that she never could with her own words.

 _Then say it out loud_ his responded, tired of playing this game.

_Please, don't make me._

"I'm tired Will" she finally said, lamely. It was more an attempt to break the silence – _since when did silence make me uncomfortable? –_ than answer his question.

"We're all tired" he responded coldly.

He wasn't biting. And it was starting to get annoying.

"What do you want from me? I'm here."

"I thought you said the soccer mom lifestyle wasn't for you." he said instinctively, regretting the words before they even finished leaving his mouth.

True, she had said those things, but it hurt to have them thrown back at her face, and she didn't bother to hide that it did. Her face tightened, and she crossed her arms across her chest, scowling in silence.

Will knew that look, and he knew that silence would only make this situation – whatever it was – get worse. So he kept talking.

"Again, why are you here Jade? Because if it's to come back home, then damn it lets go inside already." he said, his voice softening.

Her scowl slipped, but she didn't respond, instead going back to staring at his eyes, and continuing the conversation there. Years as an assassin had most certainly stunted her ability to communicate her emotion constructively.

_I want to go home._

_Then say it out loud._

_Why are you doing this?_

_Because you need to take responsibility._

She broke the gaze, looking elsewhere as some emotion – anger, fatigue, guilt? – briefly overcame her face. But only briefly, as she recovered and returned to the stoic look that seemed to be her normal setting.

So again, Will broke the silence. Even when they were together, he was usually the one to speak first anyway. He had learned the hard way that

"You chose to leave Jade. And then you came back here, you came all the way back _here,_ and told me to move on." Will was no longer asking questions, but just stating facts. And each syllable felt like a slap to the face for Jade, but she knew that they were hits of her own doing.

"Have you?" she spat, as anger, and hurt, coming into her voice.

Will hesitated for a split second, remembering that brief moment with Artemis in his kitchen. The kiss they had shared, that he had somehow convinced himself he wanted. How truly _wrong_ it had felt afterwards.

"Should I have?" he responded, taking a page out of his spouse's book by answering a question with a question.

For whatever reason, his answer struck a nerve in Jade, and she snarled back at him, her voice rising.

"I thought you wanted me to be here?!"

The irony of him using her own tactic against her registered somewhere in the back of her mind, but at this moment she didn't particularly care.

"I do, but I want you to _be here!_ Not to be here for a week, and then vanish again. Not to give your mom and Lian and Artemis hope and just disappear on us again!"

 _Disappear on me again_. The words were unsaid, but they both knew that's what he meant.

Jade looked down again, avoiding eye contact with her husband. This is a conversation they needed to have, but not one she came here for. She still wasn't even quite sure why she was here, but _this_ certainly was not it.

"You've left me twice now Jade."

She didn't like where this conversation was going, and for once, she didn't have the quick wit to throw him off. So she responded with a deflection, because she for damn sure didn't want to get to the truth.

"The first time I didn't have a choice."

"Yea I know, and I don't hold that against you. But the last time…we were finally in a good space. Things were going well."

"I thought I was out but…you know how it is. The shadows always comes calling. I could only ignore them for so long."

 _You sound like a damn child_ she thought to herself, wondering to herself yet again, just what the hell she was doing back here.

"You didn't have to answer the phone."

He was saying a statement, but there was a pleading undertone to it, as if he were begging to realize what was painfully obvious to him. She recognized it from all the fights they had had about him telling her to leave the life. And from her own voice, when she had begged him to give up on looking for the "real Roy Harper", before leaving when she found out she was pregnant.

"There are conseq-"

Will snapped. "Damn that! I'm tired of hearing that! After everything we've been through?! You didn't seem to care when about consequences when you helped be break out Roy all those years ago!"

"I had to do that for you, for Lian." The cool edge to her voice returned just as Will had lost his. Something about him getting angry had grounded her & allowed her to regain her emotional footing. It was some sort of combat tactic she had learned: When your enemy starts to get emotional, that's when you strike hardest.

Too bad this wasn't her enemy.

That cynical part in the back of her mind joked, _The young kids would call this a "toxic" relationship._ She would have chuckled, but her husband was glaring at her with an unnerving intensity.

"And you think I wouldn't do the same to protect you?! That I wouldn't move heaven and earth to keep my family together?"

"You're not the only one who has to do well for this to work."

Will opened his mouth for another fast retort but stopped as he realized the implications of what she had said.

 _I'm scared of failing as a mother_ she had once told him in one of their late night conversations. It was one of the few times, even after they got married, that she admitted a weakness to him _._ It was only a few weeks before she left.

In a few quick movements, Will bridged the gap between them and pulled her into a tight hug, one arm wrapped around her possessively, the other at the back of her head. She collapsed into it, her willpower to resist evaporating.

Her senses were overwhelmed with the familiarity of it all. The smell of his aftershave, the strength in his slightly less toned arms, even the feeling of his damn annoying beard brushing against her scalp.

"Damn it Jade, we're in this together." he whispered to her, and she could have sworn her knees almost buckled because _damn it_ _when did his voice get so comforting?_

"I know." she whispered back into his chest.

Did she? She wasn't sure, but if anyone could convince her it would definitely be him.

They stood there in that embrace, in pure silence, for what could have been an eternity, just soaking each other in. The months since their last true embrace had taken a steep toll on them, and Jade felt content to just remain there forever. Unfortunately for her, Will wasn't done.

"I need you to tell me that you'll stay. That this is it. That you're never going to leave me, _us_ , again."

Damn it. So they were going to have this come to Jesus moment after all. And how could they not? This was what it all came down to didn't it? In the end, she was the one who had to walk away from her life, just as her husband had did to raise their daughter. And what if she didn't? Would he let her back in knowing that she would just leave again?

She tensed at the thought of such a painful rejection, but he pulled her away from his chest, holding her firmly in front of him and looked at her, waiting for her to look into his eyes. They were soft now, and the guarded edge in them from earlier had thoroughly dissipated. But they were determined.

"I need to hear you say it Jade." He repeated, firmer this time.

Everything she was programmed to do, to believe, told her to stay silent. To defy him, to sneer and turn around and walk away, because she was _Cheshire_ damn it and she didn't do this. She didn't go back where she had left, practically begging to be welcomed back. And even if she did, she certainly didn't deserve to be taken back in.

But she was also a mother. And a wife. And no matter what she had told herself, she had missed that warmth.

Staring into his eyes, she saw someone who truly needed her. Like a parched Bedouin staring at an oasis in the desert. Like she saw herself staring at him more than a few times. Like she knew both of them looked at Lian almost every day.

And with the thought of her beautiful daughter back in her arms, whatever last remnants of defiance she had evaporated.

"I promise. Never again."

That night she just lay there in bed with him, and Lian. The three bundled together under the covers, almost as if they were one single mass. It was beautiful and warm, and a friggin miracle that Lian hadn't woken up when they moved her out of her crib. Jade hadn't even asked to sleep with her, but of course Will knew.

She cried herself to sleep, one the few times she'd done so since she was a teenager, with the exception of her pregnancy. Unlike then, now she cried tears of joy. Yes, she had left her husband and child. But they had taken her back. Yes, her marriage needed work. But she could fix. She would fix it. Yes, she had been a bad mother. But she had a whole lifetime to make up for it.

For the first time in a long time, she felt somewhere close to whole.

Because she was home.


	2. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jade reunites with Lian and company. Paula has words with her daughter.

Jade woke up to weight of an exuberant 3-year-old bouncing around on top of her. She groaned and opened her eyes to the beautiful sight of her excited daughter sitting on her stomach.

"Mama! Mama!" exclaimed Lian. She grabbed her mother cheeks with her tiny hands and squished her face to her mothers. Her eyes were filled with an unmistakable amount of joy. It was infectious, and Jade couldn't help the smile that grew over her face.

"Tí Hon" _Tiny_. "Mommy is sooo happy to see you." She purred, kissing her daughter repeatedly, causing her to giggle. She could hear Will chuckling in the background, but she didn't care. Lian was the only person she was ever this comfortable being emotional with in public. Ever this weak with.

"Mommyyyy, stop. You're gonna get your spit on me!" giggled her daughter, even though it was more her spit that was starting to slobber everywhere.

Jade only laughed at her child - a real laugh, filled with delight and joy – as she dragged her off her body and playfully tossed her at the warm spot her husband has conveniently vacated on the bed.

She noticed that her daughter was significantly bigger than when she had last been this close to her. Children grow fast in several months. Bigger than you can observe from across the street of a daycare center, or from shadows of a nearby rooftop.

_I should have been there_ she thought.

Even her child's playful giggling and writhing under the sheets couldn't suppress the guilt gnawing inside of her. As if sensing what she was thinking, Will returned to the bed, scooping up his daughter and embracing his wife in a poor attempt at a fatherly bear hug.

Jade couldn't help poking at her husband's noticeably looser gut, teasing smile on her face. "Someone's been letting themselves slip."

"Haven't really had much of an incentive to stay in shape. No one to show off the rocking bod for," he joked back in return, though he was only half joking. Being a single dad, operating his own business, dealing with Harper brother drama, and no longer running around in spandex beating up bad guys takes a toll on a man's physical conditioning.

"Well we'll just have to change that now won't we?" Jade asked suggestively.

"I don't know, I kind of like not waking up to random bites and fingernail scratches everywhere," he retorted.

"Last I checked, you gave as much as you got Red."

And just like that they were back at it. Slipping into the innuendo and flirtatious banter that defined their relationship. Sure, ok, now they were doing it without the deadly combat, and yes, they were in a bed that was legally theirs, but the underlying sentiment was still the same.

Except now there was a child – the natural evolution of previously mentioned banter – and her complete disinterest in watching Mommy and Daddy make weird faces at each other.

"I'm hungry!" exclaimed Lian, shoving her adorable self towards both her parents with full force. She missed badly, flopping face-first into a pillow and grabbing nothing but a handful of her mother's unruly hair.

She giggled. "Mommy's hair is messy! Daddy's not gonna let you go outside until it's nice!"

"Is that right?" Jade feigned concerned. "Maybe we'll have to convince him otherwise."

"Breakfast first! I'm hungry!"

At that, Will extricated himself from the dad-induced bear-hug mess that had taken over the bed. Standing up, he gestured towards Lian to follow him.

"I'm gonna go make breakfast. Lian, why don't you help me and let's let mommy take a shower?"

"Yes!" Lian hopped out of bed, and started running to follow her dad, but she suddenly stopped in the doorway and turned back to her mother. "You're not gonna leave, right mommy?"

Jade almost choked on air. Looking at her daughter, she saw worry plastered all across her face, and the guilt that was gnawing at her was back with a vengeance. Will was standing behind her, giving Jade _the look_ , the same one from last night.

_I need to hear you say it._

"No baby, of course I'm not leaving. Mommy misses you too much."

"I knew it!" Her daughter's smile melted hear heart.

"Come on Lian, we're gonna make your favorite: Chocolate chip pancakes."

Jade wanted to tell Will to stop feeding their daughter that crap, but the giggles of joy coming from her daughter made her forget. Instead, she elected to make her way towards the bathroom for a refreshing shower. In her bathroom. In her house.

God that would never get old. This was _her_ house. For _her_ family.

…

Yes, this was her house, for her family. And although she spent what felt like a millennia basking in that glorious realization in the shower, she was still completely caught off guard by the sight of her mother in her room.

Of course her mother was here.

She had moved over a year before Jade had left. Jade had insisted on it actually. Another person to help keep Artemis from descending into madness in the wake of Wally's death. And sure, it was nice bonus for Jade to also rebuild her pretty damaged relationship with her mother.

Still, Jade couldn't help but tense a little at the sight of her mother.

She had never gotten comfortable with the sight of her mother confined to a wheelchair, and unlike Artemis, she hadn't spent years living with her to get used to it. In her mind, she still remembered her mother from before the wretched incident. A strong, carefree, proud woman. The woman who taught her how to fight. A strong mother. Hell, even a good wife who could make Crusher some semblance of a respectable father.

Until she went to prison, got put in a wheelchair, and was never quite the same.

She hated her father for many reasons, but letting their mother take a bullet for him would also top the list.

"Jade, it's good to see you back home." The words were warm, but there was unspoken judgement behind them. A cold look displayed in her eyes.

In Jade's entire lifetime, her mother was the only person that could consistently cow Jade with a look. And though they hadn't spoken since Jade had vanished under the darkness of night, the family matriarch was now making it clear the depth of her disappointment. All with a look.

Jade responded lamely "It feels good to be back." She didn't exactly have much else to say, and just like last night, this was not a conversation she wanted to have.

"We've missed you dearly. All of us. Especially Lian." _Your daughter needed you, and abandoned her._ Her mother didn't have the cruel streak of their father, so the words went unspoken. Jade felt their impact anyway.

"I can tell." Another lame response. Jade made a mental note to check on her wit. It was eluding her as of late.

Not that it would have saved her in this situation anyway.

"Bạn đang ở," ( _Are you staying?)_ her mother asked in Vietnamese. Her eyes seemed boring a hole straight into Jade's soul, and it was not a comfortable feeling.

"Tất nhiên" ( _Of course)_ came Jade's reply.

That response seemed to be enough for the family matriarch, and her eyes relaxed considerably. Now, they showed relief, happiness, even excitement as she wheeled herself forward to her daughter, placing a gentle hand on the young woman's face.

"We learn from our mistakes Jade. This is your home. We need you here. And you need us," she assured her daughter, her voice low. "Trust me, a mother without her child is a haunted woman. A feeling you have tasted now."

"Yes. Yes, I have," Jade replied bitterly. She had hated every second of the last few months of her life. It had given her an entirely new perspective on the personal hell her mother must have been going through when she was stuck behind bars, her children left alone to the marching orders of their useless father.

"I would say to remember that taste, but I happen to know that it never leaves you," continued Paula, caressing her daughter's cheek once more, before wheeling herself towards the hallway.

"Now come, let's eat before Lian makes a mess of herself. Your husband certainly isn't going to stop her."

Jade didn't need to be told twice. She followed her mother towards the kitchen, the smell of syrup and butter and chocolate increasing in intensity with each step. Jade made another mental note to check the contents of the fridge later.

At the moment, she was walking in on quite the sight.

Paula had been right about the mess. Lian had already found a way to smudge her clothes and a good chunk of her face with chocolate and syrup, all before having touched a single pancake on her plate. Will was not faring much better, his hair and beard splotched with various stains. His shirt had more than a few suspiciously child-sized chocolate hand-prints on them.

Will looked at her with one of his many "Dad-faces" as she had dubbed them shortly after Lian had been introduced to his life. This one was a mixture of humor and regret. "Lian is a very messy cook," he offered as explanation.

"It's genetic," Jade said, as she leaned over and gave her husband a kiss that lasted just a second too long for their child.

"Ewwww. Mommy & Daddy are gross!"

"Mmm, better get used to it dear," Jade joked, reaching for a plate of the delicious but thoroughly junky breakfast her daughter had prepared. While her husband and daughter devoured into their breakfast with gusto, she just watched with a smile on her face. In turn, he own mother was watching her.

Paula noted the happiness exuding from her eldest child. She also noted the new worry lines her daughter had gotten, and the way she was favoring her left shoulder, as if still recovering from an injury.

Lian paused mid bite, eyeing Jade's suspiciously untouched plate.

"You don't wike my cwooking mommy?" she asked, mouthful of chocolaty pancake obscuring her words. It was hilarious really, if not for the sudden worry that was rapidly welling in the little girls eyes.

"No, that's not it at all honey," comforted Jade, making a show of taking copious bites of the pancakes on her plate. Lian watched as if she was being held captive, searching her mom's face for any signs of deception.

_3 years old and already looking for tells? That's my daughter alright_ thought Jade.

"It's great baby." Her taste buds loved the chocolatey goodness, but she could almost feel the extra 3 seconds this would add to her response time in a fight. She made a mental note to expedite her plans to re-do the family's current food habits.

"The best ever?" Lian asked wide-eyed, doubt still in her voice.

"This is the best, tastiest, greatest, most delicious, scrumptious breakfast I've _ever_ had, in the history of everything!" Jade responded in a sing-songy voice she had magically acquired after motherhood.

That seemed to rid the little girl of any doubt, and she stuck a chocolaty tongue out at her father. "Told you I was a better cook than you Daddy."

Will burst out laughing, running his hand through his daughter's messy hair. "Yes, yes you are."

"Lian may be the first woman in the family to actually know how to cook before she's in her 20s," jabbed Paula.

That set off a round of bickering about whose fault that really was (mostly Paula's), which of the two mothers could really make a better pho (again Paula), and whether Jade couldn't cook anything that wasn't a traditional Vietnamese course, or merely chose not to (she couldn't). All the while Lian refused to leave her mother's side for even a second, fretting and fussing for attention in the adorable way that only a child can.

It was brought to an unceremonious end when Lian spilled milk all over the table, prompting variations of groans and amused laughter from around the table. As Paula cleaned the table, Will did the dishes, and Jade worked on cleaning Lian's incredibly dirty face, they barely even noticed the sounds of the other house resident arriving.

Well, Will & Lian didn't notice it. Jade had heard the car door slam shut, and Paula had heard the keys jangling in the lock. But all recognized the voice that followed the front door closing.

"Mmm that smells good. I hope you guys saved some for me, because after the night I just had with the team, boy-" The blonde stopped herself mid-sentence when she saw the company in the kitchen.

Jade didn't even look away from cleaning Lian's fussy face to greet Artemis. Instead she sported the half-smirk she knew would get under her younger sisters' skin. "Good morning to you too sis."

"I-what, _Jade?_ " Artemis sputtered, not sure if she was seeing right. The last time she saw her sister, she had been nursing a bullet wound, insistent that her own child was better off without her.

"In the flesh."

"Uh, what are you doing here?"

"Well sis, technically this is my house."

Artemis took a second to get her bearings about her and try to think of a question that would possibly get a real answer. Failing to do that, she simply looked at her mother, and then to Will, as if to ask _What's going on?_

Before either could answer, Lian managed to get her face free of her mother's cleansing hands. "Aunty Mouse, mommy is back!" she giggled exuberantly.

"She's here to stay too," Will added on, answering the question that was at the forefront of Artemis's mind.

"That's great," responded Artemis, the obvious doubt still in her voice. She felt a twinge of guilt at not hiding better, but this was Jade. Her sister, whom she loved, but who had a bad habit of cutting bait when the going got tough.

"Great to see how happy you are to have your big sister back home again," Jade added in her jest voice, finally looking at her younger sister. If Artemis didn't know better, she could've sworn there was a shade of uncertainty in those eyes.

"Artemis, is that any way to welcome your sister after all this time?" scolded their mother, her disapproval at Artemis blatant.

"No, of course not," Artemis answered, choosing to suppress the part of her than wanted to grab Jade by the collar and shake her loose for answers. So she went for the second best thing: She rushed forward to hug her sister, enveloping her and Lian in a big hug, despite audible groans of protest.

She had so many questions she wanted to ask, and so many things she wanted to yell at her, once Lian was not in sight.

"Always happy to see you home Jade."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I had the most fun writing Jade & Lian together. Those two don't get enough love.


	3. Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jade quickly relapses into being a mom. And a sister.

The next few days flew by in a blur as Jade got herself reacquainted with the house. It was surprising how much had changed, despite everything largely staying the same. The medicine cabinet had been moved around. There had been slight changes to the pantry. The amount of caffeine in the house had tripled she was last here.

Not to mention traditional Vietnamese food was practically nonexistent in the house, and Jade was going to be damned if Lian grew up unable to recognize some good Cao Lau noodles.

Speaking of Lian, she quite literally wouldn't leave her mother's side, from sunrise to sunset.

She followed her into every room (and waited outside the bathroom), introduced her to all of her new toys, updated her on every recent event her 3 year old mind had decided was important.

She even gave an exhaustive play by play of her adventures with the "big kid superheroes." Most were harmless stories about Beast Boy shape-shifting and Kid Flash vibrating through stuff. There was one story about going to space with someone named "Purple Halo Harper" that Jade was going to have to ask Will about later.

Lian even refused to take her afternoon naps, instead insisting on her mother playing "Justice League & Bad Guys" with her and her disturbingly large assortment of stuffed Justice League toys. After the third round she made yet another mental note to slowly cull that collection.

_I should just start writing a list at this point_ she mused during the umpteenth round of Wonder Woman & Kid Flash vs Captain Cold.

To Artemis and Will, the most surprising part of the whole ordeal was that Jade didn't even pretend not to love every second of it. It was like a permanent smile was etched onto her face all day every day, or a look of genuine amusement burned into her retinas. She was laughing, real, non-sarcastic laughs. Will was even catching her smiling in her sleep.

It wasn't long before Artemis & Will started betting on what snap Jade out of her trance of merriment. Artemis figured she'd blow a gasket when she realized Will had joined the homeowners association she so despised. Will guessed she'd finally crack a scowl when she found out Artemis had volunteered their kitchen to the Girl Scout baking fundraiser.

By the fourth day they'd both lost their money to Paula.

The mother-daughter adorableness went into hyperdrive at night, when Lian would finally succumb to her exhaustion. She would cling to her mother, literally holding onto her shirt or preferably, tufts of her wild hair, and wouldn't let go until after she was long asleep.

She'd been sleeping with her parents at night, throwing an outright tantrum when her father tried to get her back into her own little bed.

"It took me ages to get her used to her own bed. Now we're going to have to go through that all over again!" he groaned, but Jade didn't mind. Secretly, she wouldn't mind having to train Lian to sleep alone again. It was part of the mothering experience wasn't it?

It was a greedy sentiment, she knew.

And she didn't care.

It was only after Lian was sleeping deep enough not to be disturbed by her mother leaving that the adults would have time to talk. Artemis and Will would alternate between catching her up on what she'd missed, though she noticed they steered clear of any vigilante topics when Paula was in earshot. Meanwhile, her mother was content to simply observe the family dynamic as she nursed her tea and watched the Vietnamese news channel. She would add a chastising comment here or there whenever her daughters said something unbecoming.

Thus far, all had avoided broaching the topic of what would happen once word got out that _Cheshire_ was back home. Whether that was out of respect for her happiness, or a lingering fear that she was still going to bolt, Jade couldn't tell.

Tonight, Paula had retired to her room early, and Will left to take an "urgent" call, leaving Artemis and Jade alone. It was the first alone time they'd had since Jade's sudden return.

Jade took a sip of her green tea, silently thanking her mother for keeping something other than caffeine in the pantry.

"You know sis, I'm ecstatic that you're still living here. Will and I have a lot of catching up to do, and I wouldn't want Lian to walk in on anything…inappropriate."

Artemis faked gagging on her own, much more caffeinated drink. _Why drink caffeine at night?_ Jade scolded mentally.

"If you think I'm going to help you and Will play hide-the-zuchinni, you are dead wrong."

"I'm not planning to hide much of anything. Defeats the purpose really."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "God, it's a miracle you two only have one kid."

"No, it's a miracle we had even one kid. Pregnancy sucks. I wouldn't recommend you try it any time soon."

"Trust me, I won't."

The two went quiet, Jade remembering the hellish loneliness of her pregnancy with Lian. Artemis remembered her visit to Wally in the "other world", and how she _could_ have had a child by now.

"You are staying this time, right?" Artemis asked, breaking both out of their thought bubbles.

"I stayed last time too, remember?" Jade responded, annoyance already in her voice.

_Asked and answered_ was the aura emanating from her, which of course, didn't mean a damn as far as Artemis was concerned.

"That doesn't count Jade, because you left. And you can't leave again. No matter what 'they're better off without me' bullshit you get in your head. You can't. It would destroy Lian."

"Nothing could destroy my daughter," she replied with steel in her voice.

"Bullshit! You think it's normal for her to cling to you like a life raft every second of every day? She's terrified you'll disappear all over again if you leave her sight!" Artemis was on her feet now, ready for this to escalate into a full on shouting match if that's where it needed to go.

Jade sipped her tea in silence to keep her mouth full and choke down a comeback she might regret. But she knew that wasn't going to de-escalate the situation. Artemis hated the silent treatment.

"Your family needs you Jade, and we want you. But we want you _here._ If you leave again, I can survive, because I'm used to you walking away from me. But they won't."

The last few words were like a taunt. _Yea, I'm not afraid to take the cheap shots_ they said. Jade hated remembering that night from their childhood, and Artemis knew it.

But after all, she'd learned to take the cheap shots from her older sister.

"I couldn't take you with me Artemis, we've been over this," Jade countered, through gritted teeth.

"Yea I know, and you were probably right: If you'd taken me we'd both have ended up going down the dark path. But that didn't make it hurt any less. I was _ten._ " Artemis's voice started to rise, her emotions were swelling. "And the pain I felt as your little sister…I can't imagine what Will felt without the mother of his daughter. What Lian felt when her Mom _disappeared_."

"Do _not_ talk to me about suffering Artemis," Jade's knuckles were white now from how hard she was gripping her cup.

"I'm going to talk and you're going to listen!" hissed Artemis. She was standing over Jade now, eyes narrowed and fists clenched.

_Fuck you_ thought Jade, but she didn't verbalize it. Artemis was trying to get her riled up, and she'd be damned if she was going to give her a response.

"You aren't just a big sister now. You're a mother and a wife, and you left! You left, and I had to stick around and pick up the pieces. Will put on a good face, but he's been hurting every day since you left. And Lian? She's practically gonna explode from how happy she is. But if she wakes up again and you're not here-"

Jade interrupted her sister before she could continue, spitting out her words like acid. "Do you have _any idea_ how desperate I had to be to leave my own child behind?"

Artemis opened her mouth to respond, but a chilling look from her older sister silenced the words in her throat.

"That's right baby sister, you don't. You _can't_ , and I hope you never have to."

Jade took a deep breath. _So much for not responding._

Glancing at her cup, she saw she was out of tea. _Great_. Sipping on it was probably the only thing that had stopped her from kicking Artemis in the throat.

She looked back at her sister, matching her fiery gaze in a way that few people could. "Artemis, I'll die before I leave Lian again."

_Doubt me. Question this resolve. I dare you_ her eyes said.

Artemis didn't, instead visibly relaxing at her sister's conviction. "Good," she responded, returning to her seat. "Because Oliver & Dinah are going to absolutely blow a gasket when they find out you're back."

Typical Crock/Ngyuen sister argument. Full of emotion and hurt, and then quickly papered up with a humorous deflection to a different, lesser problem.

Jade raised her eyebrow at the sight of her pseudo-in-laws. "In a good way or a bad way?"

"No idea, but I'm reaaallly looking forward to finding out."

"You'll find out sooner than you may think," announced Will, materializing in the doorway, cell phone in hand. If he'd heard their argument, he didn't say, but he looked stressed.

"Just finished talking to Dick." Between working in the Shadows, marrying Will, & a few mistakes from Artemis, Jade had long discovered many of the secret identities of the league. No need for codenames. "Meeting on the watchtower in three hours, to discuss our…situation."

"You already told them?" Jade asked irritably. She knew this was inevitable, but she was irritated that Will had gone ahead without even telling her.

"Better I tell them than they find out during a random visit, like last time," he responded.

"They're letting her onto the watchtower?" asked Artemis, not even remotely surprised that the proverbial cat was out of the bag.

_Of course she already knew_ thought Jade.

"Easier on short-notice and they want to do this as quick as possible. Oracle patched authorization in for Jade to travel via the zeta-tubes in Star City," was the terse reply.

Jade scoffed. "You mean Batman convinced everyone that if this is some elaborate con job, I'll play my hand once I'm in the watchtower."

Will gave Artemis a kind of nervous look. Jade noticed they'd been doing that a lot since she'd gotten back. Almost like they'd developed their own little language in her absence. Logically, it made sense. The two were raising a child (and from what she heard, several other children) together while recovering from their respective heartbreaks.

However logical it was, something about it bothered the shit out of Jade.

"I'm a big girl. I prefer your friends getting their little tests out of the way now rather than later. They were quite annoying last time."

She was referencing to her last stint as a housewife, when her and Will (then still Roy) had to placate some very concerned Justice Leaguers about the idea of her walking around as a free citizen. Cheshire had built quite a reputation, even if she had quieted her more violent assignments leading up to and since her marriage.

Turns out, being quite literally the only reason the "original" Roy Harper was now walking among the living had a way of building up some goodwill. A little "critical information" on criminal operations here and there an they agreed to look the other way on her sinful past.

Jade remembered laughing to herself at what they must've thought the first time they saw her back in action. She could just imagine Green Arrow having a small aneurysm.

"Jade, things are different now," Artemis warned.

"So I burned them before, please. I have valuable information, enough to convince the spandex squad I deserve my freedom."

"You're not listening," Will asserted, and Jade frowned. _So now they're tag teaming arguments?_

Artemis continued. "The Justice League itself is different now. It's going to be a lot harder to convince the new leadership to look the other way."

Jade rolled her eyes. She'd heard about this new "principled" Justice League shtick, but principles wouldn't beat The Light. And everyone with two working brain cells knew there wasn't a prison that would be able to keep Cheshire cooped up for long. She wouldn't even have to plan a break-out. Her reputation alone would bring someone to break her out, in need of her services.

But suuuuure. If they wanted to do a little song and dance, Jade was on board. She would act repentant. The League would scold her. She'd provide a cache of valuable intelligence that would save a bunch lives or whatever. They'd probably insist she be on some form of League-supervised "probation". Artemis or one of her friends would demand the responsibility.

One giant dog & pony show, but with the same result. At least last time she only had to deal with Batman, and he got straight to the point.

She stood up, empty cup in one hand, the other hand on her hip. She cocked her head to the side and shot her husband and sister her trademark mischievous smirk.

"Well, I'm ready when you two are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really loved writing mommy!Jade and the general Harper/Crock family dynamic. The first halves of this chapter and the last chapter were my favorite scenes to write in this entire story.


	4. Negotiation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jade goes to the Watchtower.

Green Arrow slammed his gloved fist on the table and yelled "She's a damn criminal!"

Jade suppressed a laugh. His face was turning beet reed and with his goatee practically twitching off his face he look so _absurd._

"By the letter of the law, everyone in this room is a criminal," pointed out Will.

"Oh come on, that isn't even close to the same thing!"

They were seated in one of the many conference rooms that seemed to populate the Watchtower. Present were the current Justice League chair Black Lightning, as well as senior Justice Leaguers Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Batman. Not to mention Jade, Artemis, and Will.

Jade found it hilarious that they wouldn't even pretend to be impartial, what with Black Canary and Green Arrow present. She was surprised by the Martian Manhunter's appearance, but at least Batman's presence meant that someone would be able to listen to her offer of information with objectivity.

"She has walked away from the life, _again,_ and is here of her own free will." Bonus points to Will for defending his wife to his surrogate father. He's had a lot of practice over the years.

"We've heard that song and dance before," Black Canary responded.

"Why don't you have the Martian probe into my mind? He can tell you that I'm not lying, put your precious minds to ease," Jade offered.

"That would be ineffective," Batman answered. "As a former member of The Shadows, you are expertly trained in resisting telepathic probes. Not to mention you are an excellent liar."

Ah yes, The Dark Knight would know that. Damn him.

"Besides," he continued "The Martian Manhunter did a sweep of your mental subconscious the moment you arrived on the Watchtower and has been monitoring it since then."

 _So that's why the Martian's here_ thought Jade, though she was more than a little displeased that she didn't notice her mind being probed, however gently. Those are the types of mistakes that can get you killed in the field.

"Your subconscious is present and shows no signs of mind control. You are here of your own free will. However, you have several mental safeguards in place, and I would have to severely disrupt your mental health to be certain as to whether you speak the truth. Such an action would not be pleasant for either of us."

_Not be pleasant for either of us._

The Martian spoke with a level of clinical neutrality that was a little disturbing. When it came to telepaths, Jade was far more accustomed to the evil ramblings of Psimon or ego-stroking words of Baazovi.

"Thank you for your consideration," she responded, and it was probably the first thing she said in the room that she meant.

"Cheshire-" began Black Lightning, his deep voice booming through the room.

"Jade. Cheshire is retired," she interrupted. The words came out with a level of confidence that surprised even her.

_Huh, wonder where that come from?_

In the corner of her eye, she could see Will smiling. Black Canary raised an eyebrow, her inner psychologist no doubt already working overtime.

 _Gotta keep an eye on her_. Jade had barely escaped her counseling grip the last time around. The woman was nothing if not persistent.

"Well, Jade, why don't you lay out what exactly it is you seek from us?" continued Black Lightning. "You have to know that the Justice League would be foolish to ignore the numerous crimes you've committed in the last year alone, or how quickly you disregarded our previous agreement. You've lost whatever good faith you may have had with this League."

Artemis looked like she was about to jump to her sister's defense again, but Jade raised her hand, motioning for her to stand down. She had this under control.

"But that's exactly what I want. To be left alone and allowed a peaceful retirement with my family. I've handled anyone on the other side who may have been stupid enough to be a danger to me or my family. Right now, the League's fetish for justice and ethical dilemmas is really my only concern."

That was only semi-true. She would never truly be able to handle everyone who posed a danger to her family. In her line of work, you couldn't ever cross that list off. Hell, you couldn't even be sure who was on the list.

"Handled?" asked Batman. Of course, being The Dark Knight, his question sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Yes, _handled_ ," she answered, emphasizing the last word. _"_ Forgive me if I don't trust the League's protection."

"The League is more than capable of protecting its own," retaliated Black Lightning, the disapproval clear in his voice.

 _Yea except for Roy who was on ice for years, Will when he slowly lost his damn mind and you all more or less gave up, the 2nd Robin you let get beaten and killed by the Joker, and the very dead Kid Flash & Aquagirl_.

That response probably wouldn't get her any points on the board, so she settled for something a bit more passive.

"Sure you are, but I'm not one of your own and the people I was worried about like to crawl under rocks none of you, aside from probably Batman, probably even know exist."

"Takes one to know one!" shot Green Arrow.

"Damn it Ollie can you shut up for two seconds?" yelled Artemis

Black Lightning cleared his throat and shot Green Arrow a glare, before continuing. "That would be quite the criminal record to ignore, not to mention all the authorities currently looking for you."

"Technically, there are no warrants out for my arrest."

"What?! There are three dozen warrants out, not to mention an Interpol Red Notice and every Justice League alert under the sun out for your arrest!" yelled Green Arrow.

"For Cheshire. A few for Jade Nguyen. But Jade Harper is merely a simple dual U.S-Vietnamese citizen."

"Jade _Harper?!_ Since when?!" The Star City hero looked like he was going to have a small aneurysm.

"Really Ollie?" asked Black Canary.

"She's been married to me for years, and you just now noticed that she has my last name?!"

"GA. BC. Can we _not,_ " asked Artemis, and Black Lightning looked like he was suppressing a groan.

"I believe we are veering away from the topic of this meeting" observed the Martian Manhunter.

"Thank you for your astute observation," acknowledged Black Lightning, before shooting Green Arrow yet another glare. "Ches-uh, Jade, you have to know that you would have to provide significant information for us to even consider turning a blind eye to your crimes. Assuming that's even an option."

"I have more than enough information to make it the best option for all parties involved."

"Oh come on!"

Now it was Batman's turn to glare at the goateed archer. He'd explicitly told Black Lightning that his presence would be counter-productive at best, and downright childish at worst. But did anyone listen to Batman? Nope.

And people wonder why he just does things without consulting anyone. By now he would have already come to an agreement with Cheshire and been on his merry way.

Black Lightning continued on, ignoring Green Arrow's umpteenth interruption. "While I am firmly opposed to making extralegal deals with known criminals, Artemis and Will have argued extremely vocally in your favor. That, and with your history of occasionally working with the League, when it _suits your interests_ " – now a pointed glare at Jade – "We have a responsibility to hear out your offer."

"The information Cheshire has provided the league in the past has always been legitimate," Batman added, and Artemis couldn't help but be a little surprised.

In Bat-speak, that was about as close as to a vote of confidence as one got.

"As long as it doesn't require commitment," muttered Green Arrow. This time everyone – aside from Jade, who was coolly ignoring the archer – shot him cold looks, and Black Canary elbowed him roughly.

"If the present members could keep their tongue for more than a few seconds at a time" – another pointed glare from Black Lightning to Green Arrow "-please tell us what information you have that makes you so certain we won't just hand you over to the nearest authorities."

Jade smiled.

"I can tell you what The Light's next big plan is."

…

Jade Nguyen-Harper – or is it just Jade Harper now? She would have to decide that at some point – was annoyed.

She wasn't annoyed because they kicked her out of the meeting to "deliberate" the information she'd promise to provide.

She didn't mind being excluded from the conversation, because now that all the cards were on the table it would be too hard to resist the opportunities for sarcastic comments, scoffing, or general expression of disrespect towards the goodie two-shoes committee. Honestly, they made it too easy.

She didn't mind that they had left her unattended to explore the Watchtower in what was clearly some junior level trap to see if she would try to snoop into their computer systems or something devilish like that. As if she didn't know every camera in this thing was following her every move.

She didn't mind exploring The Watchtower either. In fact, she was quite impressed with the place: State of the art construction with a clear focus on quality down to the last detail. Even the furniture was comfortable, but sturdy. And apparently the Justice League didn't skimp on cafeteria food either. There was a plethora of high-end pastries, a random assortment of pre-made meals, and surprisingly good quality tea. There was also an unholy amount of Oreo Cookies in a fridge separate from the rest of the food, with a "Hello Megan" sticker on it.

She didn't touch anything from that fridge.

Hell, she didn't even mind the newest generation of junior Justice League do-gooders "discretely" keeping an eye on her while she munched on some expensive Swiss pastries. Twenty minutes here, and she'd already counted Wonder Girl, Blue Beetle, and Beast Boy "accidentally" walk past the cafeteria a half dozen times each.

No. What was currently annoying her to no end were the two red heads who had made a point to arrive, very loudly, sit at her table, again, very loudly, and awkwardly stare at her in silence for the last several minutes.

The Harper Brothers were back.

"So boys," she asked, taking another bite of her pastry, "Are you going to keep staring at me in silence or will you actually say hello?"

Roy snorted, a look of incredulity on his face. Like he couldn't believe what he was looking at.

Which, ok, fine. Jade eating a late night snack in the Watchtower cafeteria with no supervision in sight probably was a sight to make one question reality.

"Jade," managed the bigger of the two.

"Jim."

She didn't dislike the Harper brothers at all, not after all the trouble she went through to find the "original" Roy, and with how much their brotherly bonding had helped Will rebuild his sanity. Sure, having to call _her_ Roy "Will" was somewhat annoying, but a small price to pay for him to return to being a normal human being. The thing was, they were _annoying_. They had an extremely annoying habit of dragging Will, and her house, into unnecessary levels of stupidity and/or clone induced angst whenever all three of them got together.

"Couldn't believe it when I got the call. _The_ Cheshire, sitting in the watchtower. What did you say to get them to let you on here?" asked Jim

"I told them I know where Batman keeps his personality."

That got a genuine chuckle out of Jim. Jim was respectful, clean, and mature. Jade tolerated, hell even liked, Jim. Roy on the other hand, was a different matter all-together. He was quiet right now, not a usual character trait, and giving Jade a look that was disturbingly similar to Will's when he was stuck on a problem he couldn't solve.

Right, because they were clones.

Jim chuckled again, clearly enjoying the Batman pun a bit too much. "Word is you've gone back home."

"Had to. You've all clearly let Will slip. I've come back to a couch potato for a husband."

"Well, I think that has more to do with Artemis's cooking than anything else."

Jade scoffed. Her mother had mentioned Artemis's newfound cooking abilities at every meal since she'd returned. If not for Lian drowning her in attention, she'd have probably been more annoyed by it.

"So that's it? That's all you've got to say? You're back because he's got a beer belly?!" Roy suddenly burst out, and she couldn't tell if there was more surprise or anger in his voice.

"Was there something you wanted to discuss?" she asked him, and the rabid twitch of his left eyebrow would have been a lot more amusing if she wasn't talking to the genetic source of her husband's very existence.

Honestly, the amount of angst that often radiated off the youngest Harper brother – or wasn't he technically the oldest? – had become annoying to Jade long ago.

Not to mention the kid had never truly gotten over the initial weirdness of seeing his clone married and with a child. He interacted with Lian just fine, but he'd always kept a bigger distance to her or Jade than Jim ever had. He never said it out loud to her or Will, but Jade knew he had to feel some way about the existence of a child that was, genetically, his daughter.

"Easy Roy," warned Jim, placing his hand on the younger man's shoulder. It was promptly brushed away.

"Nah. I'm not dealing with this-" he motioned wildly at Jade as he stood up "Whatever this is."

He walked to the exit, pausing right at the door. "I don't know why you're back, or how long you're going to stay, but while you're here do us all a favor and give Will a good lay."

He shot her one last glare, and then marched out of the room and….right into Blue Beetle, prompting the two to almost collapse into a floor.

"Oh…hey ese," started a nervous Blue Beetle, who was trying very hard not to look at Cheshire. "I was just uh, you know, walking around-"

"My God Blue, stop embarrassing yourself," groaned the redhead, shoving him away and continuing his march away from the cafeteria.

Blue Beetle gave one look at Jade, as if to confirm that she really was here, before turning around and following his companion as far away from the cafeteria as possible

Which left Jade and Jim together. And apparently Jim was in a talkative mood.

"I take it Oliver & Dinah have been made aware of your return."

"They're in the big boy room right now, discussing my future. Oliver was having a mini-stroke last time I saw him, but Dinah is being calmer about things."

"Like usual."

Jade took another bite out of her pastry, and Jim sipped from a coffee cup that he had materialized out of nowhere.

_Seriously. Someone needs to do an intervention on the coffee consumption in this family._

"So, Jim, you finally settled down? Meet a girl you like?"

"The bachelor life is treating me just right, thank you very much."

"But Jim, you really should find that one girl, or guy, that won't judge you for the freak you are."

Jade was referencing a running joke she had established, wherein she and Will and Roy had decided that Jim was far too normal from the three Harper brothers to not be into some weird bedroom kink. The joke had gotten out of hand very quickly, and Will ended it after the issue was brought up in one of the brother's therapy sessions with Dinah.

 _I'd still pay money to see how that session played out_ Jade thought.

"You really want to throw stones in a glass house? After everything you and Will have done?" Jim asked, a nice shit-eating grin on his face.

Jade raised an eyebrow. "I see my reputation precedes me."

"Sure, but Will also gets a bit talkative when he's drunk, and it doesn't take much alcohol to get him tipsy. Apparently 2014 was a wild year for you guys."

"Touché."

 _Remove alcohol from the house_ was added to Jade's mental list. _Or really build up his tolerance to it._

"Will loves you." Jim said, pivoting topics very suddenly. _Fuck not another one of these talks._ "And because of that he is willing to overlook more than is probably healthy for a normal marriage, but you're the only one who stuck with him during the dark times, and I can't imagine your relationship was very healthy back then."

"The dark ages," Jade answered dryly. She was only half-joking.

"But he loves Lian too. And if you leave her again, he won't give you the chance to do it a third time. So don't blow this chance."

_Does it get worse than getting marriage ultimatums from my husband's clone-brother? Is Batman going to talk to me next?_

Jim threw back the last of his coffee, slurping down the liquid with a disturbing amount of gusto for what should be a still hot cup of coffee, and letting out a sigh of contentment immediately afterwards.

"Despite what it may seem like, we all want your success. Regardless of what you've done, you're still good for Will and for Lian."

"So I've been told."

The two sat in silence after that, neither having anything to add to the conversation.

The really important discussion was happening behind closed doors, and all they could do was wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave your comments/kudos or I will make Lian sad :(


	5. Agreed & Understood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jades come to an agreement with the Justice League. Will has a talk with her.

An hour later, they verdict arrived, delivered in the same conference room.

She knew the jig was in her favor before she even sat down. While Batman and the Martian Manhunter remained neutral as ever, Green Arrow looked like he was recovering from a stroke, and both Will & Artemis looked relieved. Black Canary seemed oddly smug, though she hid her emotions much better than her significant other.

Jade smiled as she remembered some of her previous interactions with her pseudo-mother in law. The woman had thrown her for a loop more than a few times and that alone had earned her respect in Jade's eyes.

Meanwhile, Black Lightning looked like he was beyond irritated to be here. For those who had been around him in the months leading up to his position as Justice League chair – which was everyone in the room but Jade and Will – they knew that he hated compromising the Justice League's moral high ground. But, like every leader before him, he was practical when it came to the matter of life & death. He had to be in order to have the trust of the superhero community.

Jade had been counting on that.

"I would like to start off by noting, for the record" – Both Jade & Batman suppressed an eye roll, sensing the coming moral reprimand – "That the Justice League does not condone the actions of Cheshire, nor do we believe in making backroom deals that allow the exoneration of known murderers."

Jade couldn't help but think about Wonder Woman being an Amazonian warrior with a long and storied record of killing her enemies _._ Or the fact that Katana's whole thing is killing people and trapping their soul with her sword. Or that the Justice League works with Etrigan, a demon from hell who loves to kill. Not to mention the irony of the biggest proponent of "Never Ever Ever Kill", the big bad Bat himself, being her biggest non-familial supporter in the room.

It's a good thing she was used to hypocrisy, or she would have been laughing out loud. Luckily, criminals tended to have an inflated sense of ego and very little self-awareness, so this barely touched some of the monologues she'd had to endure over the years.

"However, given the severity of the crimes of The Light, the lives that could be saved with the information you hold, and the greater leeway new leadership at the United Nations have bestowed on the Justice League charter, we have decided that your information may be worth putting aside those concerns."

_Translation: New U.N Chairwoman Donna Troia has given us the political cover we need to justify our hypocrisy if this ever becomes public_ thought Jade

"Happy to hear that you have given such deep thought to this," she commented, sarcasm evident.

Black Lightning shot her a quick glare that said _I'm only doing this because of who you know_ , while Batman started laying out the terms of her agreement. As she'd predicted, they'd scolded her. Now, assuming her perfect record continued, they'd give her what she wanted and slap on some weak attempt to monitor her return to civilian life, no doubt involving Artemis.

"In exchange for your cooperation, and assuming this intelligence is correct, you will be allowed to remain free under your identity as Jade Harper. Oracle will provide the necessary support to reinforce your identity and sever any potential links that could trace you back to Cheshire."

_Strike 1_.

"You will, however, be kept under close watch, and expected to cooperate as a consultant with the Justice League, our covert operations team, and the Outsiders as proof that you've begun a new chapter. The tactical advantage of having someone of your knowledge provide input on certain operations could save lives."

_Strike 2._

"We've tasked Artemis with overseeing your role until such a time that the League feels comfortable with your rehabilitation."

_Strike 3. My God heroes are so predictable._

Jade did her best to look annoyed. Let them think they'd accomplished something. as if she hadn't been expecting a Justice League appointed babysitter.

"Furthermore, you will be required to attend mandatory weekly counseling sessions with our in house psychologist, Black Canary, for at least six months but up to a year depending on her recommendations."

_Son of a bitch._ No wonder Black Canary was looking so smug. She was about to get a front row look into her psueo-daughter-in-law's very dark mind, something she had no doubt been itching to do for quite some time.

Jade realized quickly that she must have shown some sort of surprise, because she could have sworn she saw Bat let the beginnings of a smile touch the edges of his lips. She willed her emotions off her face, before speaking in a blasé tone.

"I don't see how couch talk sessions would be positive, or relevant to the Justice League's concerns."

"The sessions will allow Black Canary to speak to your mental state. Both your sister and your husband believed it would be beneficial towards your reintegration into normal society," answered Batman.

_Of course they did._ She could practically feel Will tense beside her, his betrayal exposed. Next to him Artemis blanched a little.

Black Canary spoke up next. "This is non-negotiable. Will that be a problem?"

She spoke seriously, but to Jade's conflict-seeking ears they were mocking. _Scared of a little therapy? Afraid of what will come to light?_ Please. She wouldn't give them the pleasure. _Never show weakness in front of the enemy._

She would have to address this issue later.

"Absolutely not."

One more mental note: Call out Artemis and Will for being utter cowards. No self-respecting family members of hers could hide behind Batman and Black Canary of all people to fight their battles. It was embarrassing.

"We will be calling a meeting of senior members of the Justice League first thing tomorrow morning. You will be present and will debrief us all at once. Do you understand the terms of the agreement?"

"I understand, and I accept."

…

They spent a few more minutes finalizing things before the Leaguers felt comfortable calling it a night and heading out.

Batman and the Manhunter exited with little fanfare or emotion, but Black Lightning gave a hearty exhale when he stood up. He was very clearly relieved to be leaving this latest episode of Justice League family drama, even if it had come with the promise of life saving intelligence come morning.

"Not doing this shit again," he muttered to himself as he exited the room.

Meanwhile, Green Arrow glared at her the entire time, his idiotic goatee practically quivering off his face. At least this time around he'd been calm enough not to say anything, though whether that was out of respect for Will and Artemis or fear of Dinah was unclear.

Dinah herself seemed content with the outcome of the night's proceedings. A man she considered her son was getting his wife back and she was going to have another swing at cracking the impenetrable walls of the mighty Cheshire.

"Will, Artemis," She waved goodbye at the two before turning to Jade. "Jade, I look forward to speaking with you in the future. I'll be in touch about our first session."

_God, she looks so smug_ Jade fumed internally, giving a curt nod of acknowledgement to Dinah's exit.

With everyone finally out of the room, she allowed her annoyance to show on her face, turning to her husband, who was currently staring intently at a spot on his sleeve.

"Counseling sessions? Really Will?" she hissed at him

"You heard them! Dinah insisted!" he answered defensively.

"Well it didn't exactly sound like you were resistant to the idea."

"Oh come on Jade, we've all had to go through it before. It's not that serious!" exclaimed Artemis from her spot behind Will.

"Artemis, if you could excuse us," Jade replied coldly, her eyes still on her husband, "I would like to discuss this matter with Will alone."

Will took objection to that, not wanting to see his partner in-crime and possible future body shield depart. "Artemis is much a part of this as we are."

"Well, hey now, I wouldn't say I'm _as much_ a part of this-"

"Artemis, Câm miệng," _Shut up_. Her sister listened if only out of surprise from hearing the demand in Vietnamese instead of English, and Jade focused back on Will. "I expect my goody shoes kid sister to pull a stunt like that, but my husband does _not_ get the same pass. So sis, if you could please, give us the room. I need some time to speak to _my husband._ "

Artemis looked at Will, who was looking back at that spot on his sleeve, and then she looked back at Jade, who was now giving her a look that wasn't quite a Cheshire glare but something much closer to the looks her mother gave, and she obliged. _Not my wife that's pissed_ she thought to herself, accepting defeat and giving the room to the angsty couple. She only hoped that they didn't start having angry hate-sex on the conference table, because God knows Batman probably had every inch of the place wired.

When she left, Will spoke up. "Kicking her out was uncalled for Jade."

"No, what was uncalled for was my own husband slipping in counseling provisions into an agreement that I had bow wrapped."

"Dinah insisted-"

"And would have lost if you and Artemis had my back."

"We just-"

" _We?_ " Jade asked pointedly. "Artemis may have picked up the slack while I was gone," _Understatement of the year_ the little voice in her head hissed at her. "But I'm back now and _we_ are a team. I need you to have my back Will, now more than ever."

She spoke the words confidently, but Will knew just as well as she did that the confidence hid fear. Like they always had. They had danced around the issues of their marriage since she returned, like they always had, but the issues remained nonetheless. They both knew it, and like so many of their other battles, they both silently chose to fight them on their own if not outright ignore them.

So Will's next words all but blindsided Jade.

"I agree. Which is why I think we should also do some couples counseling with Dinah."

"You've got to be joking." Will trying to get her help was one thing. As annoying as it was, she could see why he would be concerned, given the state she came home in and how much he knew about her demons. But, as far as she was concerned, their marriage certainly did not need interruption from the outside world. Aside from Lian, Will was the only person she had truly brought into her life of her own will. She didn't choose who her family was, but she had chosen to make him her family. She chose to give birth to Lian. And even though leaving didn't feel like a choice she made of her own free will, that too had been her choice. And _she_ chose to come back to them of her own free will. She didn't return on her deathbed or get dragged back by Artemis. She didn't need or want other people getting involved in her marriage.

"I wish I was," he responded lamely.

She shot him a look that glared _No._ Nothing good would come from exposing themselves like that.

"Jade," he opined, and he was giving her that _Let me help you help yourself_ look that she saw him give to Roy when he would have one of his nightmare induced panic attacks or to Lian when she was making herself messier while trying to clean herself.

He wasn't supposed to look at her like that.

"Fatherhood has made you soft in the head, not just the gut." There it was, the short retort to keep him on his heels, try and distract him.

Will gave her a crooked smile and a sigh of exasperation, seeing right through her. "Look Jade, as much as I dislike therapy, I think it could help you _and_ us. It definitely helped me in the past more than I'd like to admit, and you were the one who practically shoved it down my throat," he replied, referencing his own counseling sessions that Jade had all but mandated on him after they had rescued Roy. Shell shocked from finding his...genetic source code...and having a daughter thrust in his arms, he hadn't been able to put up much of the fight. It during one of those sessions that he found inspiration to get into the security business. And to change his name. 

"Different circumstances. You needed help that I couldn't give you. But this? Us? We can handle ourselves. We always have."

"Have we?" he asked quietly, a sad smile toying with the edges of his lips.The sincerity in his voice hit a chord, feeding the gnawing voice that had been eating at her. It taunted her. _Scared Dinah might prove you're as bad a wife as you are a mother? Scared Will might finally figure it out?_

As quick as they came she shoved the intrusive thoughts back down. Her mind was a mental fortress, not something that could be easily torn down by self-doubt.

"Red, our marriage, our relationship, has survived everything that's been thrown at us. Fighting on opposite sides of the law? You realizing you were a clone, and knowing that I knew about it? The _years_ you spent looking for Roy when everyone thought he was dead? " Her voice started off a little quieter than she would have liked, but she steeled it with each word, as if reinforcing her own will. "A sudden separation & hidden pregnancy? Me literally dropping Lian into your arms? Another separation?" She threw her hands up for effect. "And yet we're still here."

"But none of that is healthy!" Will responded animatedly. "We survived in shared misery, and every-time things got close to being good, one of us got scared. And while I know that I'll always be able to take you back, no matter what, and you'd do the same, that only gets us so far. It's a dangerous dance Jade. Can we really do that to Lian? Put her through that? Be one of those couples that let the cracks grow until we finally shatter?"

Now Jade looked at away, eyes glancing around the grandeur of the watchtower, but never truly settling anywhere. "Doesn't it say something that, for as long as we've been separated, neither of us got divorced?" she asked.

Will gave her a look that was somehow hard and soft at the same time, before putting her hands with his and letting out another deep sigh.

"All it says is that we know each other well enough to expect the other to come running back eventually. But Lian doesn't know that!" he replied, rubbing his temples with both hands in a clear sign of irritation.

She put her hands on his cheeks and held his gaze. "And she won't have to ever find that out, because neither of us is ever leaving her again," - She let her face curl up in disgust before she continued - "Unless you try to force that couples therapy BS. Because that's not happening."

Will give her another hard look, the wrinkles on his face deepening as he searched her face, before letting out another deep sigh. "Fine, we can put a pin on the couples therapy. For now. This wasn't going to be the last time he brought the issue up and they both knew it.

"Thank God. Honestly, Red, we're more the dysfunctional make-up sex crowd."

Will let out a soft chuckle, but then his features turned more serious. "Jade, I expect you to hold to the agreement and show up for your sessions with Dinah."

"Or what? What are they going to do, toss me in a jail cell for not keeping my appointment on her couch?" she retorted defiantly.

"You want to prove you're serious about being back? Respect the agreement Jade."

"I don't have anything to prove, least of all to them."

Will arched his eyebrow as if to say _really?_ and Jade let out a sigh – and then mentally reprimanded herself for sighing like such a housewife. Except that's what she was now, wasn't she? A housewife.

"Since when have you cared about what the spandex group thinks about us?" she asked

"Since they became a part of Lian's family." He moved closer now, squeezing her hands in his.

"She's a smart girl Jade. If she sees everyone else thinks mommy is up to no good, she'll pick up on it, and it won't end well."

She pushed his hand away. Batman probably had this placed bugged to kingdom come, and she'd be damned if she was going to let any of the Bat brats see her being emotional. Or rather, more emotional than this conversation had already made her.

Apparently Will had no such reservations, because he mimicked her earlier motion by cupping both her cheeks in his hands and holding her gaze as he looked to her for an answer. She took note that his callouses had definitely softened over the months, meaning he'd been slacking on his archery training.

"Think about it this way: You get the chance to mess with Dinah's perfect counseling record for a whole year. If anything, you guys can bond over mental mind games."

She let out a small grin at the thought. If anything, it would be interesting to engage in psychological warfare with Dinah. The woman was so well put together, but everyone had weak points and she was guessing hers dressed like Robin Hood and had yet to propose despite their years long relationship.

"Fine."

Will gave her a big smile, and pulled her into his bear hug, an apparent superpower that he'd been given with fatherhood. She had to make a conscious decision to ignore the high likelihood that this proof of her having emotion was being recorded and going to be analyzed by Batman & Nightwing as they tried to decipher her body language for signs of deception. Instead, she leaned into the embrace. She had bought Will some new cologne yesterday, and she was silently congratulating herself on her choice.

"And Will?" she murmured, running a hand up his still muscular arms.

"Yes?"

"We're definitely going to have to talk about how you kissed my sister."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I chickened out of the Artemis-Will-Jade conversation but I tried to write it and I didn't feel like I had space/the creative juice to put it in this story properly. 
> 
> So Will talked with Jade again, and while it wasn't as explosive as her conversation with Artemis or as emotionally charged as Chapter 1, Will is pointing out the toxic nature their relationship tends to veer in, and they are both being grounded by the fact that even though they can handle it - because they know the other is always going to come back at some point - Lian does not know that and doesn't deserve to be exposed to that.
> 
> It isn't perfect. Their relationship still needs a lot of work and Jade has to face her inner demons, but she's home, she got the capes off her back, and her family is supporting her.
> 
> Epilogue is next.


	6. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You haven't lost anything that truly matters."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing this fic, especially the Jade-Lian interactions. Should I get the creative juices in the future, I would like to give a shot at writing some more Harper/Nguyen/Crock family fluff. 
> 
> Here's the end!

**3 months later**

Jade nestled herself further into the couch, doing her best not to move her daughter and thus wake her from her deep slumber. On the other side of Lian, Will shifted as he reached for the remote and lowered the volume of whatever cartoon show was currently on. Putting the remote down, she ran her fingers through Lian's hair, enjoying the center of her universe with unabashed gluttony even when she was asleep.

It had taken some time, but Lian had finally gotten used to being separated from her mother for more than a few moments, not that Jade had been too keen to be separated from her. She still spent almost every waking moment of her days with her daughter, even taking her to The Watchtower or the Outsider's L.A base whenever she was summoned to "consult" for the Justice League. 

It was fun, watching how the other side of the law operated and seeing how advanced (or behind) they were compared to some of the bad guys. She was almost surprised with how often she was giving them the crucial final pieces to various illicit puzzles. She particularly enjoyed helping Artemis take down the burgeoning crime network their father had been building over the last few years. The bastard made a timely escape from the heroes, because of course, but the damage was done: He'd been bled dry and would have to spend weeks in hiding before he could even try to start rebuilding.

Knowing her father, he would spend every second of that fuming in pure anger.

Meanwhile, The Justice League practically tripped over themselves making use of the intel that she'd given them. They'd been able to deal critical blows to The Light, interrupting their latest plots and in the process getting Lex Luthor in another round of legal hell. Jade had also heard Artemis rambling on about Markovia and something they discovered from Luthor's files having implications for saving the ex-Outsider who was currently on the throne. She kind of hoped they saved their junior justice partner, because the "Violet Harper" girl was infatuated with him, and Will was apparently attached to her. He tended to get really hot and bothered whenever his "gorgeous wife" did something that saved one of his spandex crew friends or their proteges. And that usually led to some adult fun.

She looked back at Lian and reminded herself that those days were from before they had a child. Kids kind of put a damper on the amount of raunchy sex one could have. So did living with your sister. And your mother.

Being back home and under the watch of the good guys also meant that she couldn't touch any of her numerous hidden assets. Someone was running thorough financial checks on her on an almost weekly basis and they weren't doing a very good job of hiding it. She suspected it was another Batman mind-game, but there was a fair chance that it was Green Arrow trying and failing miserably to be discreet. Either way, even if she could get the cash without being detected, Will was having none of it.

"We are not going to fund any aspects of our lives with blood money," he'd insisted, no room for negotiation in his voice.

"Please Red, I stopped doing hits after Lian was born. This is more…stolen arts money," she countered, dragging out the last few words.

"No."

"At least let's put some in a trust fund for Lian, that way she can have her college already paid for and that's one less thing you have to get grey hairs about."

" _No._ "

She didn't remember him complaining so much about dirty money when he was looking for the "real Roy Harper", but she kept her tongue shut about it. She preferred not to talk about those days unless it was needed, and in exchange he didn't mention her vacancy from the household anymore than necessary. Was it healthy? No. In fact, after Will had finally snuck his way into one of her counseling sessions, Dinah made a point to tell them that it was an "unhealthy coping mechanism" they needed to work on in order to "mend the cracks in your relationship." Will very conspicuously failed to attend any one of her sessions since, and had temporary lost his interest in couples counseling for the time being, to Jade's great delight. 

Jade let out a very un-lady like yawn, interrupting her train of thought. It was late, definitely way later than they should have let Lian stay up, and they were going to pay for it with one super cranky kid in the morning.

She stretched out a kink in her neck, and in doing so caught a glimpse of her sister passed out on the loveseat adjacent the couch. She was cuddling with her dog with the idiotic name – _Brucely, really?_ – and looked absolutely peaceful. Taking in the sight of her slumbering daughter, Jade thought to a less peaceful moment they'd had a few months ago: Their conversation about her kiss and subsequent non-romance with Will had been short and appropriately brutal enough for all parties to mutually move on and agree to never discuss the matter ever again.

Artemis had done a lot for Lian and Will, especially after Jade left. In return they grounded her in a way that only family could, giving her a sense of structure that she needed more than she wanted to admit. Jade knew and appreciated that, but the more she thought about it the more fuel she gave to that gnawing feeling of guilt in her chest.

_You left, she picked up the pieces. Took care of your daughter when you were too scared too._

She was still working on killing that annoying voice, but some aspects of her return had been harder than others.

"Feelings of guilt are normal for a mother who has been separated from her child," Dinah told her in one of their godawful counseling sessions.

Dinah was a damn good psychologist, which made it that much more difficult for Jade to keep her prying brain away. Her pseudo-mother in law had this habit of inserting herself into her life – coming over for breakfast, taking Lian out to the mall – and then later dredging up her observations in their weekly sessions. Three months in and Jade's vast array of deflections, denials, and retorts had failed to prevent Dinah's slow but steady warpath. The only time she'd managed to catch her off-guard was when she managed to segue-way a conversation about Roy's proposal to Oliver Queen's lack of one.

If looks could kill, Dinah Lance would have been arrested for 1st degree murder that day. 

Unfortunately for Jade, that trick didn't work a second time.

Of course, there was still the matter of exacting revenge on Artemis and Will for forcing her into that position. That had been derailed by other, more mundane realities of day-to-day life as a mother.

She was getting better at this whole "domestic housewife" role. Sure, she'd gotten banned from being present at any girl scout activities after the Den Mother caught her showing the girl scouts how to slip paralytics into baked goods. And yes, she was no longer allowed to pick up Lian from preschool after she threatened to slit a different mother's throat, but that woman had almost _driven over_ her baby and thus, was lucky to get away with only a threat.

She was even getting good at working around the damned Homeowner's Association.

They'd forbidden her from planting some bonsai shrubs in her own yard, something she discovered when she returned home from grocery shopping and Will had dug them all up to avoid the Homeowner's Association fine. So, instead of stabbing HA President Bethany in the jugular, she'd just released an extremely invasive species of beetles that decimated her stupid iris flower garden.

Bad for the environment anyway. Irises in California? The water consumption alone was the true villain.

Will had even convinced Jade to agree to show up to the next "Super Play Date", though she maintained getting an agreement out of her mid coitus was cheating. So she was only going to drop Lian off, not stick around and socialize. As much as she loved her daughter, she was not going to spend an afternoon in a room full of judgmental PTA moms who would only look at her as Cheshire. Justice League pseudo-pardon or not, as far as she was concerned her reputation alone damned her from any sort of normal interaction among them.

Her mother had laughed when she told her this, instead instructing her to trust the other women to have an open mind. "These are the mothers, wives, & sisters to some of the greatest heroes in the world. A reformed criminal is hardly going to blow their mind."

Jade had only looked at her mother with a look of pure skepticism. She knew what they would whispers because she still heard them in her own head. _Murderer. Assassin. Heartless. Abandoned your child._ She wasn't going to listen to that drivel from someone else.

"You've got that look in your eye," Will murmured, interrupting her thoughts again.

"What look?"

"The 'I'm pondering but too serious to admit it in front of my gorgeous husband' look."

Jade smiled and leaned over to give her "gorgeous husband" a kiss. Somewhere in the background she heard stir Artemis groan in mock disgust.

"Would you two knock it out. You're grossing Brucely and I out."

"We can get much grosser if you'd like," Jade joked suggestively.

Artemis stuck her tongue out at her sister in a very childlike manner and dodged the couch cushion that came her way.

…

Later that night Will and Lian fast asleep beside her, Jade let her mind wander. It went all the way back to the first night that Will had caught her watching their child from the darkness of a nearby rooftop. When she had still been nursing a bullet wound and everything hurt just a bit too much.

_"You haven't lost anything that truly matters."_

The words echoed in her head, then and now. At the time they seemed like a cruel mockery of her fate, taunting her with a life she didn't believe was in her grasp. Now, they served as a comfort.

_"You haven't lost anything that truly matters."_

No, Jade supposed. She certainly hadn't.

*****END*****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jade is home, spending time with the family, doing assassin-y things around civilians, and not taking her counseling sessions seriously. 
> 
> Thanks again for everyone who read, kudos'ed, commented, or otherwise enjoyed this story! Here's to hoping the writers bring Cheshire home in Season 4.


End file.
